Public Transport Users Decreased by 3.2% in February 2025

Public transportation users decreased by 3.2% in Mexico’s main cities in February 2025 compared to 2024, reports INEGI. According to the institute, all main cities in Mexico reported user contraction, with Queretaro being the only city reporting an increase of 38.7%. 

According to INEGI’s Urban Passenger Transport Statistics (ETUP), during February 2025, 228.4 million passengers traveled in structured urban transport systems across Mexico's main metropolitan areas, representing a 3.2% decrease compared to February 2024. 

Urban transport systems in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area (ZMVM), comprising Mexico City and surrounding State of Mexico municipalities, served 164.9 million passengers in February 2025, a 0.7% year-over-year reduction. The Mexico City Metro carried 94.3 million passengers, over 57.1% of the area's total. This positions the Metro as the largest system, moving more passengers than all other cities included in the report combined. The system registered a 1.2% increase in the month.
The metro was followed by the Metrobús system with 35.7 million users, a 4% decrease. The State of Mexico’s Mexibus system registered 9.6 million passengers, a 6.1% increase, while Mexico City’s Trolleybus system recorded 7.9 million passengers, a 3.5% increase.

Guadalajara saw 26.2 million passengers, a 2.3% decline compared to February 2024. The main public transport systems were the Light Rail system, with 13.2 million passengers, moving over 50.1% of the city’s passengers. However, the light rail system registered a 5.5% decrease in passengers. The system was followed by the bus-rapid transit (BRT) Mi Macro Periferico Troncal service with 7.1 million passengers, a 14.4% increase; and the Macrobús Servicio Troncal moving 2.8 million passengers, a 7.4% decrease.

Monterrey transported 10.1 million passengers in February 2025, a 27.1% annual decrease. The city’s largest transportation system was Metrorrey with 5.9% passengers and a 39.9% decrease. It was followed by the BRT system Transmetro with 3.3 million passengers, an 11% increase; and the Transmetro Garcia-Monterrey service with 900,000 users, a 15.5% increase. The city has constantly reported contractions, as reported by MBN, which could be explained by the high dependence on private cars, as over 42.3% of inhabitants use them as their main source of transportation. Moreover, 50% of the vehicles transport only one person. 

In February 2025, passenger numbers decreased in Puebla by 1.5%, Acapulco de Juarez by 4%, Chihuahua by 11.8%, and Pachuca by 16.9% when compared to February 2024. Leon, Guanajuato, also saw a decrease, with 15.5 million passengers transported, a 9.5% reduction from February 2024.

Queretaro's Public Transport Numbers Rising

In February 2025, Queretaro registered a 38.7% increase in passenger numbers compared to February 2024, with the Qrobús completely carrying these numbers.

Despite having similar percentages of private car users, Queretaro reported double-digit growth in public transport systems, contrary to Monterrey,  which reported double-digit contractions over the past months. According to INEGI’s latest Survey on Population, over 41.2% of the state’s inhabitants use a private vehicle, while over 29.1% use some kind of public means of transportation. 
While public transportation in Queretaro increases its number of users, the state still lacks appropriate public transportation, as Queretaro inhabitants lose over 93.91 hours each year on stuck in traffic, resulting in a cost of MX$1,704 (US$87) per capita. "Mobility is a fundamental element for urban competitiveness. It determines how talent moves, and the ideal is that inhabitants can choose among diverse modes of transport that are safe, affordable, sustainable, and efficient as suits them,” says Fatima Masse, Co-Founder, Noubi Advisors.